For many locales, hosting winter and ice sports competitions is no longer a weather-dependent undertaking. Indoor facilities mean ice skating, broomball, hockey and curling can be hosted year-round, and in destinations that never see cold temperatures. At the same time, plenty of sports, like ice fishing, skiing and snowboarding demand an outdoor landscape.
Call it the snowball effect. These eight destinations are ready to help event organizers chill out.
Billings, Montana
Billings is currently constructing the state-of-the-art Signal Peak Energy Arena, slated to open in spring 2026.
The $17 million venue, managed by the Yellowstone Ice Foundation, will feature a twin-sheet ice arena with a marquee rink that can hold 2,000 spectators, a restaurant, sky boxes, community rooms, locker rooms and more, making it the crown jewel of facilities in Montana and the northern Rocky Mountain region.
The Signal Peak Energy Arena recently announced a new Tier II Junior Hockey team as a permanent tenant, and the still-to-be-named Billings Hockey Club will start play in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) Mountain Conference in September 2026. The venue will also be the only facility in Montana specifically designed to host sled hockey.
“The arena will play host to a number of other local, statewide and regional hockey events, from youth through adult,” says Casey Conlon, sports tourism director, Visit Billings. “The arena will also host figure skating and curling. This past April, Billings hosted the 2025 Curling Arena Regional Playdowns at the city’s current facility, and we expect the sport’s presence to only grow.” He notes that the arena is currently accepting bids for summer 2026 and beyond.
Butler County, Pennsylvania
Ice hockey is extremely popular in this locale, and the UMPC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township is the premier winter sports venue. The state-of-the-art facility has two rinks, locker rooms and a fitness training room, and it serves as the primary practice and training center for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
The facility is also the home rink for Pens Elite Youth Hockey (boys and girls) and is the home facility for high school and middle school local hockey. It hosts multiple boys’ and girls’ youth hockey tournaments as well as USHA and USA Hockey tournaments and championships.
“Throughout the year, the Lemiuex Center hosts up to 30 youth hockey competitions, sled hockey games and tournaments and events for USA Hockey,” says Perry Latimer, sales manager of Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau. “The rink is always open to reviewing RFPs for events to see if they will be a good fit.”
Latimer also notes that the complex has hosted the USHL Fall Classic, 200x85 Labor Day Girls’ Fest and Mid-Winter Classic, with each event drawing thousands of spectators and the overall economic impact being in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Going forward, Latimer says, “We are always looking to strengthen women’s and girls’ sports, particularly girls’ ice hockey in all age divisions.”
Erie, Pennsylvania
The Erie region offers a wide range of winter and ice sports venues that make it a strong cold-weather destination. Major indoor facilities include the Erie Insurance Arena, equipped for large-scale hockey events and home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
Additional ice options include the LECOM Sports Park that features two NHL-size rinks, and the Mercyhurst Ice Center collegiate arena. Outdoor winter recreation sites include Presque Isle Bay, popular for ice fishing; and Peek ’n Peak Resort, which offers skiing, snowboarding and tubing. Erie is easily accessible and all venues are within five miles of more than 1,000 hotel rooms.
Erie can host a wide range of winter and ice sporting events including youth, high school, collegiate and adult competitions. Past youth hockey tournaments include the Erie Bay Cup and Erie MLK Cup hosted by TSC Hockey, as well as the Sarah Backstrom Tournament and Veterans Day Showcase hosted by Lake Effect Hockey.
In November, the Erie Whiteout Weekend, hosted by Premier Ice Prospects, featured 22 girls’ youth hockey teams (450 athletes). In other ice sports, Erie welcomed back the Mid-Atlantic Broomball Tournament at LECOM Sports Park, which showcased men’s and women’s teams from multiple states. Erie also hosts ice fishing events, including the Flagship Ice Open tournament held on Presque Isle Bay.
“Erie hosts a wide mix of winter and ice sports events each year, including youth and amateur hockey tournaments, broomball competitions, figure skating, ice fishing, disc golf and recreational ice activities,” says Sydney Dietz, events and marketing manager, Erie Sports Commission. “With the number of ice rinks and winter venues in Erie County, we are always looking for additional youth, college and adult tournaments to come and compete in our beautiful destination.”
Janesville, Wisconsin
In this destination, ice sports are a big draw, and most of the action now takes place at the new Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center which celebrated its grand opening in September 2025.
The 140,000-square-foot complex includes the 1,500-seat MercyHealth Ice Arena (home of the Janesville Jets of the North American Hockey League) that houses hockey, figure skating and other on-ice sports. The Center also has a multi-use arena that has ice for a portion of the year, and is then converted to dry space for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other sports or for additional conference space.
Winter and ice sports competitions hosted here include local girls’ and boys’ high school hockey, Beloit College men’s and women’s hockey, youth hockey league play and figure skating programs.
“We are actively expanding into more youth tournaments, high school showcases, collegiate events and specialty ice programming as we shape our long-term winter sports calendar,” says Tony Thiry, general manager, Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center.
“Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center is part of a larger community strategy to position Janesville as a regional winter sports destination. The facility’s mix of ice, flexible courts and multi-purpose spaces creates opportunities for athletes of all ages while supporting meaningful economic and community impact,” says Thiry. “We’re excited about the opportunity to grow winter and ice sports in Janesville and to help strengthen sports tourism across the region.”
Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell, the hub of northwest Montana and the heart of the Flathead Valley, has long been a premier destination for sporting events of every kind, including winter and ice sports.
For ice hockey and other ice competitions, the main venue is Woodland Ice Center, an outdoor rink with stadium lights. Kalispel also offers other local rinks. For snow sports, there are nearby ski areas (notably Whitefish Mountain Resort and Blacktail Mountain Ski Area), a cross-country and backcountry network and multiple Nordic centers.
On the hockey scene, Kalispell has hosted the Griz Hockey Winter Classic (University of Montana versus Eastern Washington University), Craft Brewers Cup and the FVHA Winter Classic youth tournament series.
Other winter events include numerous adult and youth ice fishing tournaments such as the Lodge at McGregor Lake Fishing Derby, Smith Lake Perch Assault, Upper Thompson Lake Perch Assault and the Sunriser Lions Family Ice Fishing Derby. The Annual Flathead Classic dogsled race and skijoring ski and horse competitions are also part of the mix.
“Winter is a priority season for Discover Kalispell and we recognize that winter events drive business and room nights,” explains Ben Gould, Discover Kalispell’s group sales manager. “Kalispell residents are excited and hungry for more wintertime events. We strive to complement our world-class winter sports with indoor events as well.”
Revolutionary Valley, Massachusetts
Representing 21 vibrant cities and towns, and with its headquarters in Lowell, Revolutionary Valley’s winter sports identity is built on accessibility, community pride and high-energy spectator experiences.
The area’s primary winter and ice sports venue is the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, a multi-purpose arena that hosts professional and collegiate hockey as well as large-scale events.
Other regional facilities include Janas Memorial Skating Rink (Lowell), Chelmsford Forum (Chelmsford), Breakaway Ice Center (Tewksbury) and Skate 3 (Tyngsborough). All support a wide range of hockey, figure skating and community skating across all levels.
Key winter sports competitions held in the region include multiple professional women’s hockey games throughout the season (the PWHL Boston Fleet play home games at the Tsongas Center); NCAA Division I hockey; and high school and youth hockey practices, leagues and tournaments.
“Future growth focuses on strengthening The Fleet’s presence, expanding youth hockey opportunities, supporting continued growth for UMass Lowell Hockey and attracting additional tournaments and winter sports activities to the region,” says Christa Lamb, director of media and communications, Revolutionary Valley. “We are also focused on pairing sports tourism with cultural, dining and historical experiences to create full weekend itineraries.”
Overland Park, Kansas
In this destination, ice hockey and figure skating generate a great deal of attention, and the AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk, a 420,000-square-foot indoor sports and entertainment complex, is the main hosting venue.
The facility’s winter sports centerpiece is a state-of-the-art NHL-regulation ice rink with seating for approximately 1,500 spectators. Phase one saw the facility open in late October 2024, and a planned Phase Two, currently underway, will add a second sheet of ice, doubling the ice capacity for tournaments and practice.
“The addition of the second ice sheet is the primary growth initiative, which will allow the facility to bid on and host larger, multi-division tournaments that a single sheet cannot accommodate,” explains Simon Watson, director of ice operations, AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk. “The total Bluhawk sports complex is projected to generate $3.8 million in economic impact to Overland Park in its first year alone, with a five-year projection of $97 million in total economic impact.”
The current venue is home to the University of Kansas Men’s Hockey Club, various adult leagues including the Kansas City Women’s Hockey League, the Kansas City Ice Hawks youth hockey club and the Silver Blades Figure Skating Club.
“In year one, we saw more than 200 hockey games played, six figure skating showcases and many special events hosted by our ice rink,” says Watson. “The venue has also partnered with TPH Academy, a specialized ‘Study-Train-Play’ academy for student-athletes (grades 6-12). This allows aspiring elite hockey players and figure skaters to combine academic study with daily on-ice professional training onsite.”
Santa Clarita, California
This destination is home to a 94,000-square-foot ice skating complex called The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center presented by Valencia by Five Point. The Cube has three sheets of ice which include a 17,000-square-foot NHL sheet, a 20,000-square-foot Olympic rink and a 4,500-square-foot rink called the Pond.
The venue also provides full locker room facilities, meeting rooms, skate rentals, a restaurant with a full bar and a special event facility called Top Shelf.
The Cube has hosted a multitude of hockey tournaments and is currently the home of UCLA hockey. It also has hosted figure skating, curling, speed skating and broomball competitions.
The facility is open year-round and large regional hockey tournaments typically take place on three-day holiday weekends. Figure skating, speed skating and curling events are held periodically throughout the year.
“UCLA Hockey is based at The Cube. Some of the other tournaments can draw more than 2,000 spectators over a weekend. We’ve hosted the (CAHA) California Amateur Hockey State Championships, Western States Regional Speed Skating Championships and some high-profile figure skating competitions,” notes Monica Fawcett, economic development associate, City of Santa Clarita, Economic Development. “Most of our competitions are regional, drawing competitors from California and the Southwest.” SDM
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